2008 NEOCATS RULES
1. Entry fee for a NEOCATS qualifying tournament will be $35.00 per team, including Big Cat. Entry Fee for the NEOCATS Iron Man Classic will be $80.00 per team.
2. Only Blue and Channel Cats will be weighed for the main tournament.
3. There will be an optional Flathead pot, which will be an additional $5.00
4. All State Fishing laws and Boating Regulations must be obeyed.
5. NO TROT LINES, JUG LINES, LIMB LINES, or DROP LINES. All fish must be caught on a rod and reel.
6. Pre-fishing a tournament is allowed. All pre-fishing will end at 8:00PM the evening before a tournament.
7. Any live, dead or artificial bait may be used.
8. Fishing from the bank is allowed.
9. All tournaments are “catch and release”. All fish brought the scales will become the property of NEOCATS and will be released back into the water.
10. Dead fish will not be weighed.
11. Chumming is not allowed during tournament hours.
12. A member of each team must be in the weigh in line by the ending time for the tournament. Teams not in the line by that time will not be allowed to weigh their fish.
13. A team consists one or two persons. A third team member is permitted as long as that person is less than 12 years old. Four rod rule is still in effect.
14. Stringers may be used but it is to be put through the lower lip and will not be run through the gills at any time. Fish must be off the stringer before submitting them to the weigh master.
15. Only 6 fish per team will be weighed, plus one Flathead. Minimum length for any fish is 15”. Only 2 channels over 28” allowed per team.
16. Only one (1) Team per boat will be allowed.
17. All protest brought to the Tournament Director must be in writing within 15 minutes of the conclusion of the weigh–in. The Tournament Director’s rulings will be final.
18. No alcoholic beverages may be consumed during tournament hours.
19. Payouts will be 100% on all entry fees. All tournaments pay three places. 1st place= 55%; 2nd place= 25%; 3rd place= 10%; Big Cat =10%.
20. The Optional Flathead pot pays 100% to biggest fish. If no Flathead is caught, the pot will roll over to the next tournament. You must be entered in the pot in order to weigh a flathead. If pot rolls over, you must entered the next pot to have a chance of winning.
21. All scores will be based on a 150-point scoring system. 1st place will be awarded 150 points, 2nd 149, and 3rd 148. Points will decrease by 1 (one) point, down to the first team with no fish weighed in. Scoring will be based on total weight of all legal fish. A legal fish is described as a Channel or Blue Cat, which meets a minimum length of 15” except Flathead which are not included in the main tournament or the points. All teams that fish, but have no fish to weigh in will be awarded 10 points less than the last team that weighed fish in. Points will be accumulated up to and including the August 23rd tournament. In the event of a tie, the winner will be determined by the number of fish caught during all tournaments, then by the highest total fish by weight.
22. In the event that a team member cannot make a tournament, an exception will be made so another angler can fill in for the member that is absent.
23. No fishing will be permitted within 50’ of another boat or another team that is bank fishing. The first team in place has the right of way.
24. Tournament hours will be from 8:00PM till 8:00 AM unless otherwise stated. Daytime tournaments are from 9:00 AM till 4:00 PM. Registration will begin one hour before the start of the tournament.
25. Anglers are allowed on the water on the day of the tournament only for the purposes of catching bait.
26. The 2008 NEOCATS Iron Man Classic and the Ohio Catfish Classic will be held in two phases. The first phase is from 8:00AM till 4:00 PM. The second phase is from 8:00PM till 8:00 AM. The break period from 4-8 can be used for anything other than fishing. No one is allowed to fish during this time. The total combined weights determine the winners.
27. In the event of a tie for weight, the longest fish will win. In the event no fish are caught, the entire prize pool will be carried over to the Classic.
28. The use of plastic fish weighing bags will no longer be allowed. Fish need to be in a suitable container that holds sufficient water when fish are brought to scales.
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